Skip to main content

Emotional intelligence in leadership

By Markus Spsike

We all strive to better ourselves as professionals and to be leaders within the translation industry in order to improve our businesses and personal brand. In this article, I will highlight the importance of emotional intelligence skills in your daily work and when working within a team. For me, it is a must-have, and mastering emotional intelligence can improve your professional and personal life. 

First, let’s explore why emotional intelligence is important in a business environment. Emotional intelligence is defined as the capacity to control, express one's emotions, handle and be aware of interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. It sounds just like what you would look for in a manager or senior team member, a leader who will be able to guide and improve a team’s performance. Some of these responsibilities include decision-making, coaching, mentoring, developing the team's skills and managing conflict, to name a few. Emotional intelligence is the skill that enhances all of your other professional skills and will lead you to success. 

There are four main categories when talking about emotional intelligence in leadership: 

1. Self-awareness

Being knowledgeable of your character and feelings, and how they affect the people around you. You can recognise your own strengths and weaknesses. 

2. Self-management

This refers to your ability to regulate and manage your own emotions. You have a positive outlook, can admit your mistakes and can accept the consequences.

3. Social awareness

Being able to recognise other people’s emotions and social dynamics, showing empathy towards others. You are able to understand and share other people’s perspectives.

4. Relationship management

This is the supervision and maintenance of business relationships with the ability to influence, coach and mentor others, and resolve conflict effectively.


There are different types of leadership, such as Transactional (based on punishment and reward, seeking to maintain the status quo) and Laissez-faire (followers have to fend for themselves).

I would like to focus on transformational leadership. This is a leadership style in which leaders work with employees to identify necessary changes for the growth and success of the company, and help them carry them out thorough encouragement and inspiration. Transformational leadership influences followers and inspires them to perform beyond their perceived capabilities by challenging the status quo. 

There are four basic responsibilities of a transformational leader: influence, motivate, considerate, stimulate. In other words, they are a role model for their followers, there to inspire and motivate them, empathise with them and help them through self-discovery, plus challenge them to improve their performance.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

What everyone is talking about

What are the key skills needed for vendor management?

While browsing the Internet, I came across a list of attributes that a successful Vendor Manager should have, and I found it very interesting. Some of these skills are also important for other roles, but I find them especially important for any role within the translation vendor management field.  👋Excellent communication skills👋 Vendor Managers need to communicate with different parties: teammates, colleagues, suppliers and clients. Being the administrator of the database gives the Vendor Manager a lot of knowledge about the company’s suppliers (or what is missing), so they are the best people to answer their colleagues' questions. For example, when the sales team wants to check the number of resources the company has for certain language combinations, or when project managers can't find a suitable supplier for their job. 😀Ability to develop and maintain strong and successful working relationships😀 This is one of the main duties of the Vendor Manager. Recruiting suppliers
1 comment
Read more

Negotiation tips for Freelance Translators

In the translation industry, negotiation is sometimes a daily practice; vendor managers negotiate with potential suppliers, project managers negotiate with freelance translators and clients negotiate with LSPs to get the best deal possible.  I used to be the kind of person who shied away from negotiating at all costs. I felt uncomfortable and overpowered when trying to negotiate. That is why, in 2017, I attended a short negotiation course, and I realised that everyone in the room that day had the same problem as me. This course taught me some basic principles, so that I was able to build   my negotiation skills at my own pace. The truth is that the more you negotiate, the better you get at it.  In my opinion, preparing for a negotiation is key in order to get the best outcome. What could you do to prepare for a negotiation?  Learn as much as you can about the person/company you are going to talk to.  Think about the relationship you have with the other party. How mu
Post a Comment
Read more

Seven things Vendor Managers look for in a Freelance Translator

I would like to share with you the seven main attributes a Vendor Manager wants to see when working with freelance translators, as well as the language combination and subject area. (No, "cheap rates" is not one of them!)  Good time management: All clients expect their vendor to meet all project deadlines. If this is not possible, I would advise the translator to reject the task, and wait for the next offer. Missing a deadline will discourage the LSP from sending the translator additional work, but rejecting an offer won't affect their chances of getting project offers in the future. Time management and multitasking are skills that can be easily learned and adapted to your way of working. Understanding the LSP's process and hierarchy: Addressing the wrong person and replying to the wrong email thread when contacting an LSP could mean your message never reaches the intended receiver or is not understood correctly. Make sure you know who is who to ensure the quickest re
Post a Comment
Read more